By Zachary Keck
All signs suggest that China and Japan are quietly trying to improve ties.
A number of signs suggest that Japan and China are cautiously trying to improve relations.
Perhaps most notably, Hu Deping, the son of former reformist General Secretary of the CCP, Hu Yaobang, visited Tokyo earlier this month. Hu, who is a close confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was in Japan from April 6 to April 14. The trip was organized by Japan’s Foreign Ministry and approved by the Chinese Communist Party.
During the trip, Hu was scheduled to meet with a number of Japanese officials including: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and Yohei Kono, a former speaker of the Lower House. Hu’s meeting with Kishida supposedly took place in the offices of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; however, Prime Minister Abe was not expected to attend.
On Tuesday, though, Asahi Shimbun reported that Hu had secretly met with Prime Minister Abe himself during the trip. According to the report, Hu and Abe “talked about Tokyo’s stance toward Beijing, and discussed the future of Japan-China relations. During the meeting, Abe is believed to have told Hu that Tokyo is ready to hold dialogue and make efforts to mend bilateral relations.” The report went on to say that the CCP had approved the meeting because of its apparent desire to improve relations with Japan before it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing in November of this year.
Read the full story at The Diplomat